The List: 18 Jan 2001 (Issue 405)

convolutions of betrayal and guilt, jealousy and suspicion to make this a cut above the average frock ﬂick. Adam Smith Theatre, Kirkcaldy. Goya In Bordeaux (12) Ht (Carlos Saura, Spain, 2000) Francisco Rabal, Jose Coronado, Dafne Fernandez. 102 mins. Goya (Rabal), wracked by fear and by memories and hallucinations, looks over his life through his work. There ’s the moment he painted a seductive duchess (Maribel Verdu), and then there are difficulties painting in a political and royal environment where great art was less important than skilled diplomacy. Working once again with the great Italian cinematographer Vittorio Storaro, Saura finds a visual correlative for the art: offering a delicate balancing act between psychological exploration and aesthetic beauty The Lumiere, Edinburgh.

Harry, He's Here To Help (18) “at (Dominik Moll, France, 2000) Sergi Lopez, Laurent Lucas, Mathilde Seigner, Sophie Guillemin. 117 mins. Harassed young married couple Michel (Lucas) and Claire (Seigner) are en route to renovate their summer holiday home with their three demanding children when Michel bumps into Harry (Lopez), an old school acquaintance. Having invited himself to dinner, Harry reveals his motto — a solution to every problem - and promptly goes to work. Moll’s well crafted blend of suspense and mischievous humour, assured pacing and line set pieces (not to mention an opening credit sequence Saul Bass would be proud of) places the film up there with Highsmith and Hitchcock. The Lumiere, Edinburgh.

Heaven Can Wait (PG) that (Ernst Lubitsch. US, 1943) Don Ameche, Gene Tierney, Laird Cregar. 112 mins. Charming fantasy in which an elderly playboy confesses his sins to Satan, which prompts a tug of war between Heaven and Hell. Nobody does this stuff like Lubitsch. St Bride’s Centre, Edinburgh. Himalaya (PG) tit (Eric Valli, France/ Switzerland/UK/Nepal, 2000) 'Ihilen Lhondup, Gurgon Kyap, Lhapka Tsamchoe. 104 mins. In the high mountains of the Himalayas, a village prepares for the annual yak caravan to market. However, the young Chieftain has been killed and the old clan head, refuses to recognise the hot- headed Karma as his successor. A worthy insight into the lives of a hardy people, the landscape is breathtakingly shot, and the attention to local detail feels authentic. The plot has less going for it, being at heart a fairly hackneyed story of an heir to the throne having to prove he is worthy of the crown. The Lumiere, Edinburgh.

The House Of Mirth (PG) but (Terence Davies, UK, 2000) Gillian Anderson, Eric Stoltz, Anthony LaPaglia. 140 mins. Davies' superb screen adaptation of Edith Wharton's novel, filmed in Glasgow, makes it clear that beneath the well-bred skin of New York society at the

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turn of the century lurks a remorseless savagery. Socialite Lily Bart (the excellent Anderson) would appear to be a natural survivor, but through a combination of naivety, folly and bad timing she is brought low. Davies charts Lily 's tragic descent with formal rigour, framing scenes with self-consciously painterly tableaux that evoke the era's fashionable artists. But, as with his other work, aesthetic control goes hand in glove with a deep compassion. FTH Cinema, Falkirk.

In The Mood For Love (PG) in“ (Wong Kar-Wai, Hong Kong, 2000) Magic Cheung, Tong Leung. 97 mins. In Kar-Wai's new film. set in 605 Hong Kong, an adulterous romance is happening elsewhere - between the husband of secretary Cheung and the wife of Leung’s journalist. Kar-Wai's interest lies with the cuckolded, and the way that something even more intense, personal and fortuitous develops out of their shared ‘adulteree' status. With Nat King Cole on the soundtrack, regular Chris Doyle behind the camera and beguiling wardrobe design, Kar-Wai offers a seductive surface texture that’s undercut by the director’s trademark emphasis of the accidental over the clearly intentional. Subtly stunning filmmaking. Filmhouse, Edinburgh.

Into The Arms 0f Strangers (PG) in (Mark Jonathan Harris, US, 2000) Narrated by Judi Dench. 117 mins. As a result of the brutal anti- Semitic persecution in the late 19305, the UK took in 10,000 unaccompanied Jewish children from central Europe before war began to erupt across the Continent. At times the focus on personal testimonies in this generally diligently researched documentary means that a broader socio-political context gets glossed over. Nevertheless, given the current climate of xenophobia, it’s timely that the poignant stories and memories of an earlier generation of immigrants are expressed. GFT, Glasgow.

Irma Vep (15) *ii* (Olivier Assayas, France, 1996) Maggie Cheung, Jean-Pierre Leaud, Natalie Richard. 98 mins. Fictional film director Rene Vidal hires real-life Hing Kong actress Maggie Cheung for a remake of pulp crime drama Irma Vep, but he loses interest in his film and instead becomes increasingly obsessed with his oriental star. the film's real drama is an expose of filmmaking, which is far more cynical than, say, Living In Oblivion. The observations are assured and full of insight, which makes for fascinating viewing - great filmmaking about awful ﬁlmmaking. Cameo, Edinburgh.

Judy Berlin (15) **** (Eric Mendelsohn, US, 2000) Edie Falco, Madeline Kahn, Aaron Hamick. 93 mins. A bitter-sweet tribute to the American suburbs from writer-director Mendelsohn, Judy Berlin follows the criss- crossing paths of various inhabitants of Babylon, Long Island on the day of an unusually lengthy solar eclipse. Carefully balancing humour and melancholy, whilst scrupulously avoiding sarcasm, Mendelsohn has crafted a tenderly affectionate portrait of muddled lives. The outstanding ensemble performances, not least from Falco of The Sopranos, whose Judy is a compelling mixture of naivety, optimism and

sheer resilience, help make this a genuinely beguiling piece of American independent cinema. Filmhouse, Edinburgh.

Julien Donkey-Boy (15) thunk (Harmony Korine, US, 1999) Ewen Bremner, Chloe Sevigny. 94 mins. Adorned with a perm that would please Kevin Keegan, Bremner plays the title role, a paranoid schizophrenic based on Korine‘s uncle Eddie. Even when constrained by the Dogme 95 rules, Korine's narrative deconstruction manages to out avant garde the most talked about film movement of the last decade. With Julien Donkey-Boy Korine attempts to get to the essence of the back-to-basics movement by dispensing with a script and using spy cameras to gage the general public's ‘reai reactions‘ to staged situations. A genius, though perhaps not to everyone‘s taste. GFT, Glasgow. Liberty Heights (15) iii (Barry Levinson, US, 2000) Ben Foster, Rebekah Johnson, Joe Mantegna. 128 mins. Like Diner, Tin Men and Avalon before it, Levinson‘s affectionate ‘coming of age' story presents a nostalgic view of suburban Baltimore in the 1950s. In 1954, before teenagers and rock ‘n' roll, the Liberty

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Heights neighbourhood is awash with chrome- trimmed Cadillacs, the crooning of Frank Sinatra. and the innocent romantic dreams of Jewish schoolboys like Ben Kurtzman (Foster). Levinson knows this territory like the back of his hand, but this idealising nostalgia undercuts the seriousness found elsewhere. Odeon, Glasgow. The Little Vampire (U) “a (Uli Edel. UK, 2000) Rollo Weeks. Richard E. Grant, Jonathan Lipnicki. 95 mins. Tony (Lipnicki). fresh from the orange groves of California, moves with his family to beautiful Scotland. He quickly becomes the most unpopular kid in his class, but finds a playmate when a ten-year-old vampire conveniently falls down his chimney. Can 'l‘ony join in the quest for the missing amulet and help the fanged Rudolph and his family become human? Despite its Hollywood re-vamp, Angela Sommer-Bodenburg‘s well-loved novel emerges with its sense of fun intact. However, while this film certainly doesn't suck, ultimately, it lacks real bite. Selected release.

Or you could surprise yourself and get into the amazing buzz of live theatre. You don’t have to get dressed up. You don’t have to plan ahead. Just come along, have a drink and enjoy yourself. You don’t even have to book. To find out what’s on call 0141552 4267.